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Pentecost May 15, 2005 Mt Hope Lutheran Church, Pastor George Hesse “And They Began To Speak” Acts 2.1-21 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak. It is estimated that on May 30th 50,000 runners and walkers will participate in the 27th annual Bolder Boulder. People will pour in from all over the country and the world for this event (The Bolder Boulder is a 10K race- 6.2 miles.) In addition to the participants, I’m told we may have an additional 100,000 people lining the streets and in the stadium, and many of them will go back home and tell others about Colorado- a great place to visit and/or maybe live. In our lesson we heard that there are people from all over staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven…. There were residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt…visitors from Rome, Cretans, and Arabs. As I studied this text I wondered, “Why were they all in Jerusalem? What had drawn them there?” The answer is amazing. Working through Moses, 1,500 years earlier, the Holy Spirit established a series of feasts that were to be observed by the Jews. If at all possible the people were to come to Jerusalem to partake in these feasts. There were three main feasts: one was the Feast of Tabernacles. We are talking about it in Bible Class. It took place in the fall when the harvest was finished. The second major feast was in the spring; it was Passover. An interesting note: during the Feast of Passover, on the third day after Passover there was a minor feast called First Fruits. At it the first of the barley harvest was offered up to God. We can learn a lot from the first fruits giving of this feast: Do we give the best of our time- the first fruits of our time- to the Lord, or does He get begrudgingly an hour or two on Sunday? Do we give to Him first out of our treasure- pay or retirement checks- or does He get what’s leftover? And what about our talents… you get the idea. The third major feast was the Feast of Weeks, which takes place fifty days after Passover. The people came back to Jerusalem to offer the first fruits of the wheat harvest. The people would be in Jerusalem in great numbers. At this one gathering for the Feast of Weeks, which we now call Pentecost, they would hear about the risen Christ from those who had seen Him, ate with Him, and touched Him. Returning to their homes in places like Mesopotamia, Cappadocia, Egypt, Rome, Asia and other places they would tell others of what they’d heard. Where the Jews have three “high” feast days we in the Christian church have two: Christmas and …Easter. It was suggested to me that we should have three. The third should be Pentecost for it was from there that the Spirit began to spread The Message of salvation, the message of a risen Christ. The people gathered in Jerusalem for the Feast of Weeks, the day we call Pentecost, they heard a sound like the blowing of violent wind came from heaven and filled the house. This violent wind denotes a supernatural event. It got the attention of those in and around the house. God had and has repeatedly used natural phenomenon such as thunder, wind, earthquakes and other natural forces at His disposal to get our attention: Elijah saw the mountains shattered by a powerful wind, an earthquake, and fire (1st King 19.11-13); The children of Israel had seen a powerful east wind part the Red Sea (Exodus 14.21); St John records that a crowd gathered around Jesus in the Temple and heard a voice come from heaven and it sounded like thunder (John 12.28-29). These uses of the forces of nature in a supernatural way were and still are neon signs to call our attention to what follows. Yet, despite all that God had done, they often didn’t pay attention, sadly we don’t either. How often do stories from the Bible get set aside for movies, ballgames, and personal pursuits? Pay attention, oh, you My people! Following the blowing of a violent wind there were what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on those gathered in the room, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. The Prophet Joel foretold this outpouring of the Spirit: In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. It was spoken of by John the Baptizer who proclaimed, He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. (Luke 3.16) And Jesus had told his disciples, The Counselor, this Holy Spirit would come to them and remind them of everything He had taught them. (John 14.26) It was by The Holy Spirit that they are filled to overflowing with this message of the risen Jesus. Understand they had the Holy Spirit prior to Pentecost for apart from the Spirit no one could believe in Jesus nor confess Him as Lord. Those gathered in that room didn’t receive more of the Spirit. He doesn’t come in doses leaving you to wonder did I get enough?… “How much do you have?” Five, ten, sixty percent full? No! The Spirit had been poured out on them in full measure at their baptisms or by the hearing of His Word. That same Spirit was poured out upon you and me in full measure at our baptisms, as well. In them The Holy Spirit had chosen to make Himself more known; I think of it as the Holy Spirit stirring and churning up in them in such a manner that their hearts were literally overflowing, bubbling over with the message of God’s grace and mercy, and when that happens, the tongue is moved to utterance. Sadly, how many times do we seemingly take an earthly antidote to quell the working of the Spirit; we don’t after all want to seem too zealous! The wind was a sign saying: pay attention. The tongues of fire were the fulfillment of prophecy. By that Spirit they proclaimed even in languages they’d never spoken before- another neon sign saying pay attention! A neon sign to us as well- draw near and hear the Word of the Lord! Hear of the risen Christ! They spoke of this Jesus who had been accredited to them and us by miracles, wonders, and signs. He was the One who at God’s set purpose was handed over to die for the sins of the whole world: our sins of holding back for ourselves the best of our time, talent and treasure, and giving to Him out of our leftovers; He died for our sins of finding greater awe in the works of our hands than all of God’s work of creation and salvation; He died for our sins of rebellion, pride, and arrogance; our sins of not gathering to hear and study, and treasure His Word to us. He who had no sin took up all our sins. The punishment due us was poured out in full measure upon Him. He was put to death on a cross, but God having accepted His sacrifice for the sins of the whole world raised Him from the dead. It is by the hearing of God’s Word that the Spirit works today to convict people of their sins, and to tell that there is no good work they can do to atone for their sins. Yet, they need not despair for God Himself did the one good work that would atone for their sins. The Son died to pay the full price for our sins, not because we deserved it in any way, but because in His mercy He gave His life for us. At this message the people, it is recorded, were cut to the heart, and cried out, “What shall we do?” Repent; confess your sins to God and turn from them. Repent and receive the grace of God’s forgiveness spoken to you through His Words of absolution. Receive the forgiveness of sins when you partake of the bread and wine of communion. Look to the font and see where your sins were washed away and you were brought into the family of God. Listen to His Holy Word where you hear, that those who believe and call on the name of Lord will be saved. He who believes will have eternal life. Let all of this fill you- your heart to overflowing that you will be moved to tell others about all that God has freely done for you. …and those gathered in Jerusalem from Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus, Egypt and Asia returned home to tell of this Jesus… by this telling the church spread. In a little over two weeks time our city will be filled with people from all over, people like us who need to hear about Jesus, people if they heard might carry he message to others. Let us pray that God would stir up that Spirit within us that we might boldly speak of our Jesus. And all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak. Amen. |
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